Ladder-foot leveling attachment



Feb. 14, 1939. G. PANOWITZ LADDER FOOT LEVELING ATTALCHMENT Filed March7, 1938 E5'- EN .maooooooooo Patented Feb. 14, 1939 UNITED i STATES .z*OFFICE LADDER-FOOT LEVELEG ATTACHMENT George Panowitz, Lansdowne, Md.,assigner of one-half to Samuel S. Friedman, Baltimore,

This invention relates to ladder-foot leveling attachments.

One object of this invention is to generally and particularly improve onpreviously known attachments for leveling the feet of ladders when usedon inclined or sloping surfaces such as sidewalks, roofs or any placewhere the feet of ordinary ladders need leveling so that the ladderswill not dangerously lean to one side or the l0 other.

A further object of this invention is to provide a ladder-foot-levelingattachment that can be made applicable to every kind and size of ladderthat has rigid side-beams, legs or uprights, including the rear uprightsas well as the front uprights of step ladders.

A further object is to provide, in an attachment of this kind, thefeatures of simplicity and consequent low cost of manufacture,convenience in applying to and adjusting on either side of a ladder, alarge range of fine adjustments so as to obtain the maximum exactness inplumbing a ladder on which it is attached, and the maximum security andconsequent safety.

Another object is to provide an improved form of guiding and adjustingmember which can be formed with comparatively slight expense from asingle blank of sheet metal and which is very practical as tomanufacture and use.

"9 Another object is to provide an interchangeable guiding member whichis formed of a single blank of sheet metal and can be transferred fromone side-beam to the other side-beam of a ladder very quickly and easilywhen desirable to change the attachment from one side to the other sideof the ladder. f

` Another object is to provide an improved form of extension-beam thatconsists of wood encased in metal so as to combine the features ofstrength,

rigidity, comparative lightness, and the capability of being bent whendesirable to t it to a ladder which has its side-beams curved and flaredat the bottom.

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of securing and adjusting bolt having a part of Another object is toprovide an improved form leveling attachment applied on the lower end ofa ladder of ordinary construction.

Fig. 2 is a front view of a lacldersl lower end or foot having thecomplete attachment on its left side, and having the guide-members inplace 5 at the right in Fig. 2. 10 '1 Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectionalView taken on the lines 4 4, of Figs. 2 and 5.

Fig. 5 is a fragmental viewdisclosing details of the guiding andadjusting member and contiguous parts, that is, a right-side view of the15'.'

parts shown in Fig. 4 and the adjoining parts.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the lines 6-6 of Figs. 2 and 7.

Fig. '7 is a fragmental view partly in section along the line 'I-l ofFig. 6. 20

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a sheet metal blank with' broken linesthereacross to indicate where it is to be bent in forming one of theguiding and adjusting members.

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the securing and adjusting bolt having awing-nut thereon.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view along the line I-l of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a side view similar to Fig. 1, but

showing a modified construction and arrange- 301 ment.

Fig. 12 is top plan view of one of the guiding members which is somewhatdifferent from those shownin the middle parts of Figs. 1, 2 and3, beinga modification thereof.

Referring to the drawing in detail, in which similar reference numeralsrefer to similar parts in the several views, the invention is describedin detail as follows:

The side-beams of the ladder are shown at 2B, 40 and each of these hastwo openings 2l therethrough as indicated by the parallel broken linesin Fig. 4. A guiding and adjusting member 22 is formed with a U-shapedportion that embraces the opposite broad sides and the lower edge of 45the side-beam on which it is to be secured by screws 22x and reenforcedby a bolt 23 and wingnut 24. This guiding and adjusting member 22 ispreferably bent into shape from a blank of sheet metal such as shown at22a in Fig. 8 where 50 the single broken lines indicate where the partsare to be turned upward from said lines, while the double broken linesindicate where the parts are to be turned downward; so, considering thepart 22h as being held stationary while the parts 55 22c and 22d arebent down into vertical and parallel relation, the resultant structureis the U-shaped part that embraces either of the ladders side-beams; andnext, considering the tongues 22e and 22j as being bent at their basesso as to extend away from the U-shaped part, then bent at their freeends so as to bring these ends into the same plane, parallel to theparts 22e and 22d, the resultant structure is such as shown best inFigs. 4 and 5. The parallel walls 22e and 22d of the U-shaped part areprovided with rectangular openings 22g which register with the openings2l of the side-beams, each of said holes being oblong, the lengths ofthese holes extending in the direction of movements for adjusting theextension-beam which is presently to be described. The bolt 23 has ashank which includes a part 23a that is oblong in cross section, thatis, of such shape and size as to snugly fit in either one of theopenings 22g-2l, and of such length as to extend entirely through theU-shaped portion of the member 212. The shank of said bolt also includesa part 23D that is cylindrical and has a screw-threaded end on which thenut 24 is screwed. One side of the part 23a is olset from the part 23h;so this bolt is properly hereinafter known as an eccentric securing andadjusting member.

Referring now to Figs. l, 2, i and 5; it is seen that the extension-beam25 is composed of a wooden part 25a and a metal casing or jacket 25h,and that both of these are provided with two rows of holes or bores 25C,which rows are parallel to one another, and in which the holes of onerow are staggered with relation to the holes of the other row. Theseopenings of the respective rows are guided into registering relationwith the respective openings 22g by means of the angular retaining andguiding elements 22e and 22] of the member 22 as the extensionbeam isslid along the side-beam 2D for adjustment according to the slope of thesurface on which the ladder is next to be used.

In adjusting and securing adjustment, the ladder is first set inperpendicular position with respect to its lateral edges, and if thebolt 23 is then out of the openings 25o, the weight of the ladder or ofthe adjusting beam will cause automatic movement of the beams 20 and 25to the proper adjusted position or within a small fraction of an inch ofthe proper adjustment, and if the adjustment is perfect, one lof theholes 22g will be in registration with one of the holes 25o, so the boltcan then be passed through these registering openings, either by placingthe oliset or eccentric side of the shank-portion 23a at the upper endor the lower end of the opening 22g; but if the openings are slightlyvout of registration, the proper registration can be obtained either by aslight tilting of the ladder or by a slight twisting of the ladderslower end and thus causing the beam 25 to slide slightly up or downuntil one of the holes 25o registers with either the upper end or lowerend'of one of the holes 22g, and then the bolt 23 is entered with itsoffset side disposed at the upper or lower side, according to theposition of the hole 25e in relation to the hole 22g.

Now referring to Figs. 3 and '5, it will be seen that the arrows in Fig.5 point to what is normally the upper end of the ladder, and that theopenings 22g are disposed with theirl upper ends in slightly spacedparallel planes, as more clearly shown at p in Fig. 2 yandV in Fig. 10,it is seen at l 1/2p that the oiset or eccentricity of the part 23a isabout one-half the distance indicated at p; while in Figs. 1, 3 and 5,it is seen that the distance between the openings 25e of each row isconsiderably greater than the distance p; so, the following facts arequite evident:

The two rows of staggered holes 25o and two holes 22g provide much lineradjustments than if there were only one row of holes 250; the fact thatthe distance pis less than the distance between the holes 25C providesstill ner adjustment than if these distances were the same; and the factthat the distance 1/2p is less than the distance p, and that the bolt 23is invertible to suit different adjustments and can be applied andinverted in any of the registering holes 22g and 25e provides forsecuring the beam 25 in any one of a large number of flne adjustments onthe foot of the'ladder.

In Fig. 2, it is noted that the members 22 are true counterparts or areoppositely constructed so as to t the opposite sides of the ladder; butthe guide-members 26 are true duplicates, so that when interchanged fromone side-beam to the other side-beam of a ladder, they are inverted, asshown in Fig. 2. To provide for such interchange, so that only one of`these parts is needed for a pair of side-beams, each part 26 has acentral opening 26a to receive and rit around a positioning lug or smallplate 21 which is secured to one of the side-beams 20 while a similarmember 21 is secured to the other side-beam 20, screws 21a or otherappropriate means being used as the securing means (see Fig. 6).However, it is within the scope of this invention to make the members 21counterparts of one another and to permanently secure them in place asis done with the parts 22; but of course the use of one transferablemember 21 minimizes the manufacturing cost; so, tomake the member easilyremovable from the side-beam 20, it is provided with a keeper element 28in a slot 29 whose length is less than the outer end ofthe keeperelement; and the inner end of the keeper element is bent angularly toextend towardsl a similarly bent end of a retaining lipf26b of themember 26, and these retaining and keeper elements cooperate with themembers 21 and 21a for removably securing the member 21 inposition oneither of the side-beams. Guiding elements 26e and 26d are componentparts of the member 26, and the outer end of the keeper element 28normally rests on the element 26d and is held there by the extensionbeam 25, but when the extension beam is removed from the member 26, thekeeper element is then free to be swung about its middle part, at theslot 29, so its inner end disengages the side-beam and permits theremoval of the members 26 and 28 from 'the side-beam, for being tted onthemember 21 of the other side-beam.

In the modified form of guide-member A26 shown in Fig. l2, the keeperelement A28 is pivoted tothe lower side of the member A26, so it can beturned on its pivot into a position at right angles to that which isshown, thus being moved out of engagement with the side-rail.

In the modied form shown in Fig. l1, the rows of holes 25e are at theupper end of the adjusting beam B25; so the positions of the members 22and made without departure from the inventive ideas herein implied andclaimed.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a ladder-foot leveling attachment, the combination of aguide-member provided with means for attaching it to the lowerend-portion of an upright or side-beam oi a ladder or other upright, asecond guide-member having two openings therethrough at substantiallydifferent levels and approximately in the same horizontal plane, anextension-beam or" proper size and shape to be slidably engaged withsaid guide-members in proper relation for keeping the extension beamsubstantially parallel with the side-beam of a ladder to which it isattachable, said extensionbeam having two parallel rows of openingsarranged in spaced relation therealong in complemental relation to thetwo openings of said second guide-member so as to register said twoopenings respectively with the openings of said extensionbeam when thelatter is adjusted to diierent positions along the ladders side-beam,the openings of one of said rowsbeing staggered with relation to theopenings of the other one of said rows for the purpose of obtainingrelatively ne adjustments by bringing the openings of either row intoregistration with one or the other of the said two openings of thesecond said guide-member, and a securing member normally fitted in anopening of said second guide-member and an opening of saidextension-member for securing the latter in one of said adjustments.

2. The combination defined by claim 1, the two openings of said secondguide-member being longer in the vertical direction than the openings fsaid extension-beam, and said securing member having a smaller part thatts in the openings of said extension-beam and a second part that fits inthe respective longer openings of said guide-member, the said secondpart of the securing member having one side oiset from the said smallerpart so that when the securing member is removed from two of theseregistering openings and inverted and replaced therein it necessitates achange of adjustment between the said second guide-member and theextension beam.

3. 'Ihe combination defined by claim 1, the openings of each of saidrows being in horizontal planes that are spaced more widely than thehorizontal planes that coincide with the upper ends of said openings ofsaid guide-member, for the purpose specified.

4. 'Ihe combination dened by claim 1 as an attachment on a side-beam ofa ladder which has an apertured part through which the said securingmember extends when in engagement with said second guide-member and saidextension device, the rst said guide-member being secured on saidside-beam in spaced relation to the second said guide-member.

GEORGE PAN OWITZ.

